1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a clothesline. Clotheslines are a popular means for drying clothes. In addition to the clothes attaining a fresh outdoors scent, the savings in electricity by not using an electric dryer, can be substantial. Typical clothesline systems provide a support onto which wet clothes are placed to dry. A common clothesline system includes an endless loop cable extending between two pulleys. The cable provides a suitable support on which to hang wet clothes. In order to set clothes onto the cable, clothes are first hung on the clothesline cable and then clothes pins are manually placed onto the clothes. When it is desired to remove the dried clothes from the clothesline cable, the clothes pins must be manually detached and stored.
2. Prior Art Statement
In order to overcome the cumbersome operation of manually applying and removing clothes pins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,509 issued May 28, 1985 to Rexford Doyle, suggests a means for automatically applying clothes pins onto clothes when the clothes are displaced away from the user and a means for automatically removing the clothes pins from the dry clothes when the clothes are displaced towards the user. The clothesline system includes an endless first cable extending between two pulleys. A pin lay wheel located between the two pulleys features a V-shaped recess acting to receiving a series of clothes pins in a normally closed position located on a second cable. The ends of the second cable are advantageously attached to the first cable such that when the first cable is displaced away from the user, the second cable is advantageously moved in a cooperative manner with the first cable bringing clothes pins secured on the second cable into engagement with the pin lay wheel. The pins are automatically brought into an opened configuration, releasing from the first cable and allowing them to travel over a substantially arcuate path as defined by the periphery of the lay wheel. Continued rotation of the pin lay wheel causes the pins to re-engage upon a section of the first cable on which wet articles of clothing are placed. As a result, the articles of clothing receive the closing clothes pins become detachably secured onto the first cable. Although the above-mentioned system facilitated the securement of clothes onto the clothesline system, it failed to provide means for preventing the first cable from sagging beyond an acceptable range. More specifically, upon placing clothes onto the first cable, the first cable tended to accordingly pull away from the second cable. In some instances, clothes will pull the first cable sufficiently downwards thus displacing the first cable from the second cable beyond a distance where a clothespin can engage the first cable.
To overcome the problem associated with U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,509, Doyle, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,109, issued Sep. 24, 2002, provides a clothesline lay-down arm with a first cable support configuration maintaining a preferred distance between a first and second cable at the point of engagement of the wet clothes with the second cable such that the clothespins attach the clothes to the second cable. The closeable clothespins are of unitary construction and provide multiple clothes holding positions as a means of successfully engaging articles of clothing placed over the first cable. Even with the preferred distance provided by the lay-down arm cable support, the weight of wet clothes on the first cable can stretch the first cable to the point that some clothespins will become disengaged from the clothes.